Method of waterproofing and airproofing inflatable textile fabrics



(No Model.) 2Sheets-Shef1. v S. OURLIN.

METHOD OF WATERPROOFING AND AIRPEOOFING INFLATABLE TEXTILE FABRICS.

Patented Nov. '14, 1893.

m: NATIONAL umaammma COMPANY. vuaumwou. n. c.

(NO Model.) 1 2 Sheets'-Sheet 2.

I S. GURLIN. METHOD OF WATERPROOFING AND AIRPROOFING INFLATABLE 3 9 8 l 4 1 V N d e t B 8-6 mm RP B A u E L I T X E T om 1 1 8 0 5 o N TN: NAnbNAL umcesumme COMPANY,

wasnmeron, a. c,

IUNITED STATE-s PATENT O F E,

SETH CURLIN, OF UNION CITY, TENNESSEE.

METHOD OF WATERPROOFING AND AIRPROOFING INFLATABLE TEXTILE FABRICS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 508,818, dated November 14, 1893;

Application fired April 21.1393. Serial No. 471.312. (No specimens.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SETH OURLIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Union City, in the county of Obion and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Waterproofing and Airproofin g Inflatable Textile Fabrics; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Heretofore in the manufacture of collapsible articles such as inflatable decoys and air beds or mattresses it has not been possible to produce a satisfactory article which will retain its air-proof and water-proof qualities for an indefinite length of time, capable of collapsing and folding for long periods without forming air vents therein through which theair escapes when the article is again inflated, and which is free from offensive odors particularly when the air is permitted to esca 0. c

Tfulcanized rubber has heretofore been employed in the production of collapsible articles such as herein referred'to, but this particular material is objectionable for several I reasons, chief among which are its liability to deteriorate when exposed to the. action of water and air and the expense attending the manufacture of the articles; furthermore the rubber article cannot be compactly collapsed and folded to be storedaway for an indefinite time without forming creases that result in crevices or vents when the article is inflated; and again these articles cannot be repaired to close up the vents without considerable trouble and expense because the interior thereof is not readily accessible.

I am aware that textile fabrics have heretofore been made waterproof and air proof by saturating or coating the same with a suitable liquid or oil; but the manufacture of and water proof and air perforations and vents are formed therein when the parts are united together.. In my present process of manufacturing collapsible articles, I aim to overcome these several; serious ob ectlons and to produce collapsible articles from textile fabric which shall be thoroughly and completely waterproof and air proof, lightanddurable in construction, cheap of manufacture, free from offensive odor, and at the same time possess the necessary degree of pliability to enable the article to be folded without forin and around the article; then completing the 7 article by uniting the sides so as to close the same, and finally finishing it by introducing a quantity of free oil or liquid which is allowed to flow over and along the finishing seam or seams made in completing or finishing the article by sewing the pieces of fabric composing the article, in order to lodge in any crevices or vents and completely seal the same; all as will be hereinafter more fully set forth and claimed.

One of the most important results attained by my invention is that the textile fabric is made completely air and water proof because the impervious coating can be easily and readily applied on the inside of the article as well as'on the outside thereof, whereby the efficiency of the article is not impairedwhen the outside coating of impervious substance is worn off through use of the article because the impervious coating remains intact on the inside surface of the fabric and obviates the formation of the air vents or crevices therein; and another important result is that the text-ile fabric retains itspliability to adapt it to be compactly folded after it is collapsed and stored in a small space foran indefinite length of time, without injury to the fabric when the article is again inflated for use.

I attach especial importance in the manufacture of the article to the coating of impervious liquid or fluid on the inner surface of too the textile fabric, as such inner coating is not exposedto friction or wear, and will therefore permanently adhere to thefabric and make it water and air proof at all times, and finally it serves as a protective coating to the fabric to prevent it from rotting or being affected in any manner by exposure to the atmosphere or moisture. As the pressure of air is wholly from the inside, when the article is inflated, the air pressure serves to press the inside coating against the textile fabric and the latter is thus made to serve as the support or body for the inside coating.

The use of my process in the manufacture of inflatable articles from textile fabrics has the following practical advantages, to Wit: The textile fabric can be cut and sewed with ease and facility as it is used in the state or condition in which it is put on the market; the article in its incomplete orpartially made condition is rendered entirely water-proof and air proof by coating or applying the liquid orcomposition both on the inside and the outside thereof, and the incomplete article can be more quickly and thoroughly dried than when the article is made up and the coating subsequently applied. The application of the water and air proofing liquid to the interior of the article when it is in its incomplete or partially made up condition is an important step in my process of making water and air proof inflatable articles from textile fabric, because by it I am able to thoroughly close or seal all the perforations made by the needle in sewing the pieces of fabric and stays and the article can be thoroughly and quickly dried as the air can have free access both to the inside and outside of the incompletearticle while it is hung up, thus eifecting a material saving in the time and labor required" to sew the article, in the application of the impervious liquid thereto, and in the drying and finishing of the article.

My invention is particularly applicable for the manufacture of inflatable mattresses and decoys of textile fabrics, although I would have it understood that I do not strictly confine myself to these particular articles as it is equally well adapted for making pillows, cushions, and other inflatable articles.

I will now proceed toadetailed description of themethod employed by me for making such articles as mattresses and decoys, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a mattress in its incomplete condition, showing the first step in its manufacture. Fig. 2 is a view of the incomplete mattress after it has been saturated with the coating of impervious liquid and is being dried. Fig. 3 is a view of the mattress when nearly completed, broken away both longitudinally and transversely as shown by heavy lines. Fig. 4 is a detail view of-a' decoy in its incomplete condition, and Fig. 5 is a view.of the same when coated or saturated and when suspended for drying.

Like letters of reference denote like parts in the several figures of the drawings.

In the manufacture of an air bed or mattress from the textile fabric in accordance with my invention, I take two pieces of fabric A, B, and connect them at suitable intervals together throughout their length and width by transverse stay cords O as shown by Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings. I now saturate or coat the sheets of textile fabric with an impervious liquid or mixture, such, for instance, as .linseed oil or a composition having linseed oil as one of its ingredients, which application may be accomplished by applying the liquid or composition by a brush, or by immersing the sheets in a bath of the liquid, or in any other suitable manner; but in either case care must be taken that the liquid is applied thoroughly and uniformly to both the inner and. outer surfaces of each sheet A, B, and over the joints betweenthe.

fabric sheets and the stays. The incomplete mattress is now hung up, as for instance, by means of a pole or other support D fitted beneath the stays at one end or side of the sheets, in which position the sheets A, B, are out of contact with each other so that air is free to pass or circulate between the sheets and thoroughly dry the liquid coating. The sheets may again be. saturated or coated on their inner and outer faces with the liquid or composition, and they arev again dried by suspending them and allowing the air to circulate through and around the sheets,-after which the edges of the sheets are united, as by sewing, and the-corners of the mattress reinforced by the stays E. See Fig. 3. The mattress is now in condition to be finished, which is done by introducing a quantity of free liquid or mixture into the mattress, and turning the same so that the liquid will flow especially, along and over the finishing seam or seams that unite the open parts of the device, and finally the free liquid is expelled or allowed to drip out of the mattress, through the inflating tube or vent usually provided in articles of this class.

In the manufacture of a decoy, the pieces of fabric are united together except at the top and bottom A, B, of the body thereof, and the stay 0 has its sections secured to said top and bottom respectively. This incomplete fabric decoy is now coated or saturated on its inner and outer surfaces with the impervious mixture solution or oil, and then suspended or hung up, so that the body thereof is open or exposed, by attaching one end of the top or bottom to a support I), and the decoy is dried by passing currents of air into and around the fabric. After the decoy is throughly dried, it may again be saturated or coated on both inner and outer surfaces by applying the impervious liquid or solution thereto, and again thoroughly dried in is finished by uniting the sections of the stay together and then uniting the top and bot tom of the decoy. I now introduce a quanthrough the usual vent or opening provided for the introduction of the inflating tube.

What I claim as new,-and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

The process of making-inflatable water and" air proof articles of textile fabric,- which consists impartially making the article, of textile fabric; coating the inner and outer surfaces of the textile fabric with a suitable liquid while the article is in itsincompletecom dition, and drying the same; then completing the article by uniting .the open partsthereof; and finally introducing a quantity of free liquid which flows over the finishing seam or seams, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SETH CURLIN.

Witnesses HENRY E. COOPER, H. I. BERNHARD. 

